Chair structure



April 17, 1951 w. E. NORDMARK 2,549,119

CHAIR STRUCTURE Filed Feb. 21, 1947 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 p 1951 v w. E. NORDMARK 2,549,] 19

CHAIR STRUCTURE Filed Feb. 21, 1947 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 J Wu onion 1.

m %lfct E. Mrdmarli w. E. NORDMARK 2,549,119

CHAIR STRUCTURE 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 April 17, 1951 Filed Feb. 21, 1947 SJYWMMTM hillfcr lifl ordmark iv //A/ April 1951 w. E. NORDMARK 2,549,119

CHAIR STRUCTURE Filed Feb. 21, 1947 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Valfel' 15'. yoldmat'k Patented Apr. 17,1951

' CHAIR STRUCTURE Walter E. Nordmark, Grand Rapids, Mich., as-

-signor to American Seating Company, Grand Rapids, Mich., a corporation of New Jersey Application February 21, 1947, Serial'No.729,98'i V may be selectively adjusted by the chair occu' pant; to provide such adjustable back-supporting mechanism which is'particularly sturdy in construction; to provide such a chairstructure in which is incorporated "an improved, adjust- I ablefoot rest for the use of an occupant of a reclining chair installed 're arwardly thereof and in general to provide such an improved chair structure which'is efficient in operation,reasonably economical in manufacture, and attractive in appearance. 1

'The accompanying drawings illustrate a pre ferred embodiment of the invention, and the various views 'in "these drawings are described a'sfo'llows:

Figure '1 "is a front perspective view of a twopa'ssenger reclining chair adapted for installa tion in a motor vehicle or thelike;

' Figure 2 is arearperspeotive view ofthe same; Figure 3'is"a'fragmentaryview of the supporting frame of thecliair structure, the upholstered seat and back cushions being omitted in this view to reveal the back-supporting mechanism andthe foot rests andm'ounting means therefor:

Figure '4 is an enlarged, inside elevational view of the'rnanually operable 'adjustableback-supporting mechanism and the adjacent foot rest mounting means, certain :parts of'the structure being shown in this view in "section taken on line 44 dfFigure 3;

Figure 5 "is a fragmentary, "sectional view of parts "shownin Figure 4, the 'sectionbein'g taken online 5-5 of Figured;

Figure "6 is affragmentary, sectional view of parts thereof taken on lines 6 6 of Figures '4 and 5;

'Figur'e '7 "is 'a fragmentary, rear elevational view of a "foot rest and "the mounting means th'erfori and 'li'igure 8 is "a view :p'a'rtly side elevation and -p' artlyin section taken online 8====8 "of Figure 3 J1 Claim. (Cl. 155-460) a 2 showing theback tiltingmechanism of the chair structure. i

Referring now "in detail to these drawings, the chair structure there shown generally comprises a horizontal supporting frame of metal tubing, having a front rail l, end rails2, "3; a rear rail 4 and a middle rail 5 parallel to the end rails 2, 3. Thishorizontal supporting-frame ismountedin'a vehicleas bymeansof an angle bar'fijsecured to the'vehicles side wall by bolts l a'ndto an end rail '-2 of the frame'by means of brackets 8, BWeldedto the'frame and secured by bolts to, H to the angle bar The aisle side of the'supportingframe ismountedby any conventional means on anend pedestal or standard l2, and a dependingrear leg 13 gives addi tional'support to the frame.

The supporting" frame as above described is adapted tosupport seats for two persons, said seats being here shown in the form of an integral seat cushion 14 of 'sufiicient width for two persons and extending from end toendof the supporting frame. The chair backs l5are of individual widthfia separate back being provided "for cash chair occupant and the backs being independently adjustable as'topitch. Each chair back I5 comprises a'rectangular, tum-"1r metal frame it to which is secured as by brackets i1 and bolts or rivets l8 aback panel ll! of plywood or the like which may if desired be covered with an upholstery material. Padding is applied to the front of each backpanel l9 and an upholstery covering 20 is disposed over the pad.- ding, drawn rearwardly at the edges, and secured to the backpanel S9 in any conventional manner. The tubular metal frames [6 of the chair backs, and also the upper portions ofthe back-supporting mechanisms hereinafter described, are thus concealed beneath the upholstery coverings 20.

Each chair back is swingably mounted on and between a pair of horizontally spaced back-supporting uprights 2| and 22, the uprights 2i being secured as by weldingrto the end rails 2, 3, respectively of the supporting frame and having the adjustable back-supporting mechanisms mountedthereon, and the uprights 22 being secured as by welding to opposite sides of the middle rail 5 of the supporting frame. Brackets 23 pivotally connected at 24 to the uprights 2! and Welded to the tubular back frames l6 secure the outer sides of said frames to the uprights 2|, while brackets 25 pivotally connected at 25 to "the uprights 22 and welded to the frames l6 secure the inner sides 'o'f said frames to the uprights 22. The chair backs are thus independently mounted for tilting movement about horizontal axes near the bottoms of said backs. Forward tilting movement is limited by contact of the frames l6 with stops 21 on the uprights 2 l, in

which forwardmost position of the back it is only slightly rearwardly inclined. Rearward tilting movement of the back is limited by contact of the lower portions of the back frames 16 with the rearward edges of the uprights 2i and 22.

Means are provided for normally urging each of the chair backs l5 toward its forwardmost.

position, comprising a cylinder 28 pivotally connected near its upper end to a bracket 29 secured as by welding to the inner vertical portion of the adjacent tubular back frame 16. A plunger 30 has an upper head 3| (see Figure 8) recipjacent upright 22, each upright 22 being provided with a laterally extending lug 32 having a hemispherical socket 33 for turnably receiving the hemispherical lower extremity of the adjacent plunger 30. Preferably each plunger 30 ex tends upwardly through its head 3| and has a bearing34 in the upper end 35 of its cylinder 28. within each cylinder 28 between the upper end of said cylinder and the head of the plunger therein. The springs 36 are sufficiently strong to normally urge the chair backs 15 to their forwardmost positions, but are yieldable under backward pressure of the chair occupants.

Mechanisms for selectively adjustably securing the backs l5 in tilted positions intermediate their 'forwardmost and rearwardmost positions are various tilted positions of the adjacent back l5v by the upper end of a detent member 39 slidably disposed ina slide bearing 40 formed by bending the upper rearward edge of the adjacent upright 2| in an inwardly, rearwardly and then outwardly direction. A bell crank 4| pivotally mounted at 42 on said upright 2| has one arm 43 thereof 'pivotally connected to the lower end of the detent member 39 and the other arm 44 thereof pivotally connected to the upper end of a link 45. The lower end of the link 45 has a pivotal connection 46 with the rearward end of an arm 4'! rigidly connected at its forward end to a stud 48 pivotally mounted on the upright 2|. The pivotal connection 46 extends through an elongated slot 49 in the upright 2|, which slot permits limited movement of the connection.

A manually operable control lever 50 is also fixedly connected to the stud 2B and the arm 41 is thus movable with the control lever 50. 'It will be seen that when the forward end of the control lever 50; which is accessible to the chair occupant, is depressed, arm 4'! moves link 45 upwardly thus turning bell crank 4! in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in Figures 3 and 4, and the bell crank 4| in turn moves the detent member 39 forwardly-downwardly to disengage said detent member fromthe teeth 38 of the sector 31, thus freeing the back so that it may be moved forwardly and rearwardly by the chair occupant until the back is positioned to suit rocally disposed in each cylinder 28 and has its lowermost end turnably bearing against the ad- A coiled compression spring 35 is disposed V 4 V the occupant, whereupon the control lever 50 may be released and the detent member is returned to its position of engagement with the sector 31 by the action of a tension spring 5| connected to the upright 2| and to the upper arm 43 of the bell crank 4|. The chair back is thus secured in selected, angularly adjusted position.

Adjustable foot rests 52 are incorporated in the chair structure for the use of the occupants of the chair structure installed in the rear of that shown. The mounting means for each foot rest comprises spaced depending mounting plates 53 secured to the adjacent end rail 2 and middle rail 5 respectively. Hanger brackets 54 are pivotally connected at 55 to each pair of mounting plates 53, and a foot rest 52 of cross-sectionally elliptical tubular formation is pivotally mounted on a tube 56 rigidly connected at its opposite ends to'the hanger brackets 54.

The hanger brackets 54 'of each pair have companion series of ratchet teethj 51 (see Figure'4)- arranged concentrically with the ;-pivotal conl companion pair of ratchet teeth 51 on the ad-' jacent hanger brackets to maintain said brackets and the foot rest in selected elevated position.

A tension spring 62 is connected to each pawl and to its adjacent mounting plate '53 for maintaining the pawl in bearing engagement with the adjacent hanger bracket. It'will be seen that as the foot rest is'moved upwardly,

the angle of the pawls bearin against" the rest reverses the angle at which the pawls bear against. the hanger brackets. Thus the pawls do not engage in the ratchet teeth during lowering movement of, the foot rest. When the foot rest reaches its extreme lowered position, the

pawls fall into the voids 58 of the hanger brackets and are thus free to resume their angle of engagement with the ratchet teeth during subsequent raising movement of the foot rests.

It will thus be seen that an improved chair of' the reclining type has been provided which is of sturdy construction and which is adjustable to insure max mum comfort, and while but one specific embodiment of the invention has been herein shown and described, it will be understood that modifications may be conceived which fall within the scope of the appended claim.

Iclaim: In a chair structure: a supporting frame hav ing a pair of horizontally spaced back-supporting uprights; a back pivotally connected to said uprights for tilting movement about a horizontal axis near the bottomof the back; spring means associated with one of said uprights and with the adjacent side of the back for normally urging the back forwardly, said sprin means com-- prising a downwardly opening cylinder mounted on the back above the saidupright, a plunger having an upper head reciprocally disposed in the cylinder and a lower end bearing against said upright, and a compression spring confined between the plungers head-and the upper. end

of the cylinder; stop means on the frame vfor limiting the forward movement of the back to.

a forwardmost position in which the back only slightly rearwardly tilted; a toothed sector fixedly mounted on the back and swingable therewith; a slide bearing fixedly mounted on the frame with an end thereof adjacent the toothed edge of the sector; a detent member slidably disjposed in the slide bearing and having an end thereof adapted to engage and disengage the sectors toothed edge inj oppositely moved positions of the back; andbperating means associated with the detent member and accesible to the chair occupant for sliding said member to and from its position of engagement with the se'ctois toothed edge.

WALTER E. NORDMARK:

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 5 Number Name Date 218,972 Hollstegge et a1. Auggi26, 1879 1,113,402 Bennett -1 Oot. f13, 1914 1,252,747 Walker -""J'atrr. 8, 1918 1,744,258 Bitzenburger Jan. 21, 1930 2,296,212 Kluglein Sept; 15, 1942 2,310,476 Todd Feb; 9, 1943 2,430,356 McDonald Not 4, 1947 2,448,860 Collins Sept. 7, 1948 2,452,140 Panter Oct. 26, 1948 

